Method for the production of bands for ornamental and useful purposes



4, 1937. K. SCHOFER 2,079,386

METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BANDS FOR ORNAMENTAL AND USEFUL PURPOSES Filed Jan. 8, 1936 Fay/0- Patented May 4, 1937 UNITED S'i'A'lE PATENT OFFICE POSES Karl Schofer, Birkenfeld, Germany, assignor' to Friedrich Doppenschmitt, Pfor'zheim Gen many Application January 8, 1936, Serial No. 58,228 In Germany January 17, 1935 2Claims.

'This invention relates to a band consisting of links and of one or several link carriers and further to a method for the production of the same.

Bands of this type designed to be employed. for the production of belts, head-, neck-, armand angle-bands, finger rings, chatelaines and other articles of jewelry and for useful purposes, have become known. The link carrier is formed by a flexible or resiliently flexible core, for instance a strip of leather, plaited metal work, or metal fabric, a spring of wire or a blade spring, a hose of plaited metal or of metal fabric with or without a spring insert consisting of one or of several layers. The links covering the carrier on all sides are pushed over the carrier and closely placed end by end. They consist mostly of sections cut from a tube, and of a length preferably not shorter than the width of the band, as it is not possible to produce in economical manner shorter links in larger quantitles by sawing from a tube.

The inecono-my of the production of shorter links results in the inconvenience that the flexibility and pliancy of such bands is only rather imperfect owing to the stiffening effect of the tube sections, and that the band placed for instance around the arm has corners which are the sharper the longer the links, measured in the direction of the band length, are.

This inconvenience is obviated by the present invention.

According to the invention the links consists of small plates severed from sheet metal or from flat wire and having one or several punched holes through which the link carrier or the link carriers is or are so conducted that only the edge of the closely juxtaposed links are visible.

In such a band the expansion of the links in the direction of the band length is only equal to the thickness of the sheet metal or fiat wire from which the links are severed. The link carrier is in this manner almost not stiffened at all and the finished band is therefore quite so pliable and flexible as the carrier which mostly consists of the very pliable, so called Milanese plaiting.

Several embodiments of the novel band and an apparatuswith reference to which the manufacturing of the band will be hereinafter explained are illustrated, by Way of example, in the accompanying drawing.

Figs. 1 and 2 show in top plan view and in middle horizontal section a flat band designed (c1. Zea-160.6)

to be employed preferably for ornamental brae lets and wrist watch bands.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a link in end View and longitudinal section.

Figs. 5 and 6 show in top plan view and longitudinal section a piece of a band and a link made of wire plaiting.

Figs. 7 and 8 show in similar views as Figs. 5 and 6 a third form of band and link.

Figs. 9 and 10 show band and link of round shape.

Figs. 11 and 12 show still another form of construction of band and link.

Figs. 13 and 14 show a plate-shaped link of special construction.

Fig. 15 shows in elevation a flat wire from which links are to be cut.

Figs. 16 and 17 illustrate in elevation and top plan view respectively an apparatus for manufacturing the links and for threading them on the carrier.

The link carrier a, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a band of wire plaiting, and the individual links are formed, as shown. in Figs. 3 and 4, of approximately rectangular frames 12 having an oblong hole In through which the carrier is threaded.

The links shown in Figs. 5. to 8 are also narrow.

According to Figs. 5 and 6 the carrier :2 is a strip of wire plaiting of rectangular cross section similar throughout the strip. The oblong holesbi of the links I) are all of similar size. The links b however. are of diiferent dimensions, so that the band body is not of the same width at all points. The decreasing or increasing of the band width is shown as gradual, this being especially popular for so-called wristlets for watches, in which, the wide band end is at:- taohed tothe wide side of the watch and the narrow band end to the narrow closure on the lower side. Peculiar efiects can however be attained also on ornamental bands by the different widths.

To manufacture such bands the links b of similar size punched from sheet metal or severed from fiat wire are pushed. on a mandrel on which the final shape is given to them by filing, grinding, milling, or by any other suitable treatment.

The link-carrier a is then fixed on the one end of the mandrel, for instance by soldering, and the links I) are pushed off the mandrel and onto the carrier a. In this manner the succession, in which the links are on the mandrel, is preserved also for the carrier a. As shown in Figs.

'7 .and 8 the links I) are of different size and the oblong holes b1 In, all of similar size, are arranged differently. These holes in each link I) serve for the insertion of the two link carriers (1 of similar cross section. The edges of the rims of these flat bands have different shapes as is shown in the figures which have been described above. They may for instance be domed feebly or strongly or they may be faceted. Also the surface of the band, especially the top surfaces, may be of any desired ornamental-technical shape.

The band in Figs. 7 and 8 has for instance longitudinal grooves c. A round cross section is preferably used for bands of l'oop-serpentine-like ornamental pieces as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The links b are circular or oval plates, and the carrier a which is inserted through the circular hole in can be a hose of wire-fabric or plaiting, or a suitable chain, for instance as so called chain-cable, beating round and filed or a socalled fox-tail chain. To produce an ornamental piece-holding on ankle or arm by resiliency, the carrier :1. for the links b consists of a hose-like hollow body, in which a spring d is inserted consisting of one or several layers, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

In opposition to the commonly used clasps the clasping effect of the spring insert d is not impaired in the least by the arrangement of the numerous sheet-thin links I), even not if the top surface is very tight and in which, if polished the link joints are scarcely apparent.

Particular ornamental effects in the most various manner can be attained in that, as shown for instance in Figs. 13 and 14, between groups of normal, plane, plate-like links b made from thin sheet metal or from flat wire, other links e, 7, g, h, 2, k are inserted. The additional links e may also be plane, but thicker and larger than the group links b (Fig. 13) or they are bent like the links h or curved like the links 1' and placed between transition links 1, g, k.

The manufacturing method for the links resulting in the least waste is that from narrow strips of sheet metal or from fiat wires m, one of these being shown in Fig. 15 in elevation.

An apparatus for the continuous production of the links b from a sheet metal strip or from a flat wire m and threaded on the carrier a. is shown in Figs. 16 and 17. It consists chiefly of a die n, a holder 0 with two punches 01 and 02, and of a link remover s suspended on an eccentric disc 1 by means of a sheath p and a bracket q. The die n rests on the table top. The punch 01 and the severing punch 02 move up and down in the holes n-1 and 11.2 of the die. Punch 01 punches continually holes b1 (Fig. 15) in a fiat wire m stepwise fed in the direction A by a guide 11.3 of

the die n and punch 02 continually severs links I) from the fiat wire, these links being removed at the front end face of the die n from the guide us by the link remover s the upper end of which carries out a circular movement. In order that, for this purpose, the link remover can enter from below into the hole In of the link b actually in front, the link remover is pointed and the die n has a slot 114 in its corresponding end through which the remover s translates from below upwards. The circular movement of the point of the remover s is effected by the eccentric 1' which is mounted on a rotary shaft 1'1 and carries on a pin T2 the fork-shaped bracket q. This bracket '11 .as well as the sheath 0 has a guide rod (11 or 101 conducted in apertures in and uz of bow u, so that the point of the remover s is permanently directed upwards during the circular movements of the remover.

Between remover s and the inner wall of sheath p is so much clearance, that the links b once gripped by the remover point can slip downwards on the remover without any hindrance. A number of links bremains stopping on the first transverse pin 11 designed to fix the remover on the sheath. This transverse pin is pulled out from time to time so that the links b slip down to the second transverse pin w which stops them. If this transverse pin w is pulled out, the links b slip over the lower end of the remover s on to .0

the link carrier 0:, which joins the remover at an obtuse angle and can be fixed on it by soft soldering.

I claim:-

1. A method for the production of the bandshaped body described, in which the links are continuously obtained from sheet metal or flat wire by punching out the holes designed for the link carrier or carriers and by severing from sheet metal or fiat wire, and these links pro duced in this manner are then stripped over the free end of a link remover and over this remover itself at the other end of which the flexible link carrier is attached on which said links are to be slipped. a

2. A method for the production of the bandshaped body described, in which the links are continuously obtained from sheet metal or fiat wire by punching out the holes designed for the link carrier or carriers and by severing from sheet metal or fiat wire and these links produced in this manner being then curved or bent by pressing or the like and stripped over the free end of a link remover and over this remover itself at the other end of which the flexible link carrier is attached on which said links are to be slipped.

KARL SCHOFER. 

